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Take Four Books

<p>Presenter James Crawford looks at an author's latest work and delves further into their creative process by learning about the three other texts that have shaped their writing.</p>

BBC Radio 4

The award-winning writer Louise Kennedy speaks to Radio 4's Take Four Books about her latest novel, Stations, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works.Stations follows Róisín McCaffrey as she meets and Red Camelin as a teenager in their small Irish hometown in 1982. Red's reputation for trouble precedes him – but Róisín finds herself swept up in his storm, and soon their connection deepens.For her three influences Louise chose: I Could Read The Sky by Timothy O’Grady and Steve Pyke (1997); The Grass Arena by John Healey, now printed as a Penguin Classic, (1988); and J.D Salinger's Franny and Zooey (1961). Louise Kennedy grew up a few miles from Belfast. She is the author of the acclaimed short-story collection, The End of the World Is A Cul de Sac which won the John McGahern Prize. Her debut novel Trespasses, published in 2022, has been translated into over twenty languages. It won Eason Novel of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards, Best Debut at the British Book Awards and the McKitterick Prize, and was also shortlisted for several awards including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and Barnes and Noble Discover Prize. In 2025, Trespasses was made into a limited TV series by Channel 4, starring Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen and Gillian Anderson. Before starting her writing career, Kennedy spent nearly thirty years working as a chef. She lives in Sligo.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Louise Kennedy

The award-winning Irish writer, Donal Ryan, speaks about his latest novel, Where Are The Kings, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other books. Set in rural Ireland, Where Are The Kings, follows the character of Jack between the ages of twelve and fourteen as he attempts to deal with his mother's sudden death for which he feels a measure of guilt. Donal has won Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards three times. In 2025 he won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and he has twice been longlisted for the Booker Prize.For his three influences Donal chose: Emma Donoghue’s Room (2010) which was later turned into a film five years later directed by Lenny Abrahamson; Frank McCourt’s best-selling memoir Angela’s Ashes (1996); and Kent Haruf’s Plainsong (1999). Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Donal Ryan

The award-winning Irish writer Sebastian Barry speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel, The Newer World, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other books. The Newer World takes us back into post-civil war America as we follow the character of Tennyson Bouguereau, a formerly enslaved man, and nascent singer as it turns out, who is forced to leave his home for fear of being killed, and heads to Nashville, until a surprising trip to Victorian England changes things.Sebastian Barry was the laureate for Irish Fiction from 2018 to 2021 and is a two-time winner of both the Costa Book of the Year and the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction. For his three influences he chose:  The American Spelling Book by Noah Webster (1783); Army Life in a Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1869); and A Journey in the Back Country by Frederik Law Olmstead (1860).Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Sebastian Barry

The New York writer and two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Colson Whitehead, speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel, Cool Machine, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other books. In three interlinking stories, Cool Machine - the final instalment in Colson's Harlem Trilogy - showcases the grit and grandeur of 1980s New York through its underground wheeler-dealer protagonist, Ray Carney, who runs a furniture business on 125th Street with a lucrative side hustle. For his three influences Colson chose: Junky by William Burroughs (1953); One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967); and The Hunter by Richard Stark (1962). Richard Stark was the pen name of Donald Edwin Westlake.This episode was recorded at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was an BBC Audio Scotland production.

Colson Whitehead

Presenter James Crawford speaks to award-winning Mexican American novelist and essayist Valeria Luiselli about her latest novel, Beginning Middle End, and its three key literary influences. In the novel, a mother and her twelve-year-old daughter travel across a wildfire-stricken Sicily in search of family history, archaeology, and the inner-workings of story itself. Along the way, the mother remains in contact with her own mother in Mexico, who may be beginning to experience dementia. Valeria’s three influences are Natural History by Pliny the Elder (1st century AD), Dart by Alice Oswald (2002), and On Nature by Empedocles (c.450 BC).The audio extract comes from the audiobook of Beginning Middle End.Producer: Rachael O'Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Valeria Luiselli

The writer M. John Harrison speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel, The End of Everything, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works. The End of Everything follows the characters of Phillip Tennent and his elderly aunt Marnie. A crisis has happened. The exact nature of which remains obscure, but government barely functions, the seas are full of new creatures and Europe has been mislaid. Is this the end?For his three influences M. John Harrison chose: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham which was published in 1961 and released as a film two years later; Drought by J. G. Ballard from 1965; and a short story called The Same Dog by Robert Aickman from 1974.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

M. John Harrison

Presenter James Crawford speaks to American author and humourist David Sedaris on his new collection of essays, The Land and Its People. From navigating the realities of ageing to reflecting on his personal relationships, Sedaris explores a wide range of experiences across the book's 28 essays.   He also discusses the three works that inspired the collection: Raymond Carver's Cathedral (1981), Joy Williams's Taking Care (1982), and Alan Bennett's Talking Heads (1988).Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

David Sedaris

Scottish crime writer Christopher Brookmyre speaks to Take Four Books this week about his latest novel, Quite Ugly One Evening, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its links to three other books. Chris's new book, Quite Ugly One Evening, is a locked-room mystery with a twist, and we're back with one of his most beloved characters - the maverick Scottish investigative journalist Jack Parlanbane, who thrives on chasing stories in unlikely places. For his three influences Chris plumped for: The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks, from 2007; The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe from 2024; and Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes, from 2020.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Christopher Brookmyre

The award-winning Irish writer, Liz Nugent, speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, The Truth About Ruby Cooper, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction. Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.For her three influences Liz chose: Ian McEwan's Atonement from 2001, the book was later adapted into a film of the same name starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy; Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy from 1992; and Patrick Süskind’s 1985 novel, Perfume.This episode was recorded in front of an audience at the Hay Festival 2026. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Liz Nugent

Presenter James Crawford speaks to award‑winning American author Elizabeth Strout - winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and a two‑time Booker Prize nominee - about her new book The Things We Never Say and its three key literary influences.In Elizabeth's latest novel, we are taken to the New England coast, where we follow the life of history teacher Artie Dam, who is struggling to cope with the way the modern world is changing around him.Elizabeth’s three influences are The Stories of William Trevor by William Trevor (1983), Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925), and Middlemarch by George Eliot (1872).Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Elizabeth Strout

The Bangladeshi-born British writer, Tahmima Anam, speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, Uprising, and together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction.   Set on a fictional, sinking island, Uprising, is told from the perspective of a group of children who witness their mothers living lives of cruelty and servitude. Tahmima Anam is a multi-award-winning writer and journalist. In 2013 she was named as one of the 'Best Young British Novelists' by Granta. She also holds a PHD in anthropology from Harvard University.For her three influences, Tahmima chose: The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka, from 2012; Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain from 1905; and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, also from 2012.This episode was recorded at the Hay Festival. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Tahmima Anam

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel - Land - which is a soaring history set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Famine. 
Maggie has sold more than eight million books worldwide and is translated into 44 different languages. She won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020.For her three influences Maggie chose: Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea from 2002; Marie Heaney’s Over Nine Waves from 1994, which is a retelling of many of the Irish myths; and the non-fiction book, Map Of A Nation, by Rachel Hewitt from 2010.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Maggie O'Farrell

The Booker Prize-winning Scottish author, Douglas Stuart, speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel, John Of John, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction.John Of John follows the character of John-Calum Macleod who, when his art school education comes to an end, catches the ferry home to the island of Harris to find that not much has changed except for him. In the windswept croft where he grew up, Cal resumes his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for decades.For his three influences Douglas chose: The Lost Language of Cranes, by David Leavitt from 1986; Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, from 2004; and John McGahern’s Amongst Women, from 1990.This episode was recorded at the Hay Festival 2026.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was an BBC Audio Scotland production.

Douglas Stuart

Imani Thompson speaks to Take Four Books about her debut novel Honey. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. In Honey, PhD student Yrsa doesn't set out to kill. But after an incident involving a bee sting gone wrong, she suddenly feels alive. So she starts to think about what justice could look like, if she took it in to her own hands...Imani's three chosen influences for this episode are Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman from 2001; Girl by Jamaica Kincaid from 1978; and Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde from 2016. Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Imani Thompson

The award-winning writer Deborah Levy speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, My Year In Paris With Gertrude Stein, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its three key literary influences. The new book follows three female friends in Paris. There's Eva an artist in a long-distance marriage, Fanny, a sexually adventurous financier, and making up the trio, is our unnamed narrator, who is attempting to write an essay about the avant-garde American poet and art collector, Gertrude Stein. The three friends cook, walk, argue and attempt to find a lost cat.Deborah's three choices in this episode are: Virginia Woolf's fifth novel To The Lighthouse from 1927; The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, from 1961; and the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou which was published in 1978.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Deborah Levy

The American writer Katie Kitamura speaks about her Booker-shortlisted novel, Audition, and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other literary works.Audition begins with two people meeting for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. The woman is an accomplished actress and she's meeting a man who is young enough to be her son. But who is he to her, and who is she to him? Two competing narratives unspool and the novel begins to rewrite our understanding of the roles we play every day.For her three influences Katie, who was a recent finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, chose: Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin from 1967, which was later made into a film directed by Roman Polanski; Tomorrow In The Battle Think Of Me, by Javier Marias, from 1994; and Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant, from 1885.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Katie Kitamura

Presenter James Crawford speaks to award-winning novelist Amitav Ghosh about his new book, Ghost Eye, and its three key literary influences.Ghost Eye is told through the memories and recollections of its narrator, Dinu, who grew up in Calcutta and now lives in New York. Set during the COVID pandemic, the story unfolds as Dinu recalls a story his Auntie Shoma once told him - one that takes place in Calcutta in 1969. At the time, Shoma was a psychiatrist investigating cases of the reincarnation type, and her work led her to a particular case involving Varsha, a three-year-old girl.Amitav Ghosh was shortlisted for the 2008 Booker Prize for his novel Sea of Poppies, and for the International Booker Prize in 2015 for his entire body of work. He was also awarded the Erasmus Prize for his writing on climate change in 2024. For his three influences, Amitav chose: The Hungry Stones by Rabindranath Tagore (1895); The Willows by Algernon Blackwood (1907); and Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (2025).Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Amitav Ghosh

The award-winning English writer Gwendoline Riley speaks to Take Four Books, about her new novel The Palm House, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its three influences.The Palm House follows the friendship between Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam, known as ‘Putnam’, who both work in the London media landscape in 2017.  Over the course of a long weekend, they meet several times for drinks and crisps, and discuss the state of their lives, and share stories from their past.Gwendoline Riley won the Betty Trask Award for her debut novel Cold Water in 2002. Subsequent works have seen her win the Somerset Maugham Award and she was recently given the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize from Yale University in recognition of her life’s work to date.For her three influences Gwendoline chose: Annie Ernaux's short non-fiction book about her experiences of having an abortion called Happening from the year 2000; Charles Dickens's last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend from 1864; and Penelope Fitzgerald's novel Offshore from 1979, which won the Booker Prize that year.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Gwendoline Riley

Presented by James Crawford Take Four Books speaks to the writer Solvej Balle from her home on an island off the coast of Denmark about her latest instalment of the 'On the Calculation of Volume' series. The novels tell the story of Tara Selter, an antiquarian bookseller who wakes up one morning to find she is endlessly reliving the same day: the 18th of November. Solvej's influences for this episode are all Danish. She chose: Stories About Tacit by Cecil Bødker from 2016, which is a novel about social outcasts who form a reluctant alliance on an abandoned farm in 1850s Denmark; Inger Christensen's poetry collection, Alphabet, from 1981; and a book of philosophy first published in the year 1843 - Either/Or - by the man often described as the 'father of existentialism' - Søren Kierkegaard.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Solvej Balle

Scottish novelist and poet Jenni Fagan tells presenter James Crawford about her new novel, The Delusions, in which she takes readers to the afterlife - or, at least, to its entry portal. It is a place where the newly dead are required to queue up and account for the truth of their lives - and extract all their delusions - if they are to have any chance of passing into eternity.Jenni’s three chosen influences are Nina Cassian’s poem Temptation (1966), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), and Jeanette Winterson’s Weight (2005).Producer: Rachael O'Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Jenni Fagan

The much-loved Canadian writer and former Booker Prize winner, Yann Martel, speaks to Take Four Books this week about his new novel, and first for a decade - Son Of Nobody - and together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. The book follows a classical scholar, Harlow Donne, as he gets a chance to study at Oxford and uncovers a lost account of the Trojan war. The fictional Homeric poem unfolds across the top of the page, while Harlow's often heartfelt footnotes, addressed to his young daughter, Helen, run below.Yann, who won the Booker in 2002 for his novel Life Of Pi, chose as his three influences: Stephen Mitchell's 2011 translation of The Iliad; Alice Oswald's Memorial, which is her translation of the Iliad's "atmosphere" and was also published in 2011; and Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, which was first staged in 1962.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Yann Martel

Northern Irish writer and multi‑award‑winning novelist Jan Carson talks to James Crawford about her new book and the three key influences that shaped it.Her latest novel, Few and Far Between, transports readers to an alternative Northern Ireland, where the country’s great inland loch is partially drained in the 1960s, leaving behind a chain of islands that become a refuge for those seeking to escape political strife.For her influences, Jan chose: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (1971); Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (2017); and Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (1951).Producer: Rachael O'Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Jan Carson

The writer Susan Choi speaks to Take Four Books about her novel Flashlight, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works.The novel, which began life as a short story in the New Yorker in 2020, and won the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in 2021, begins with ten-year-old Louisa and her father taking a walk out on the breakwater. They are spending the summer in a coastal Japanese town while her father Serk, a Korean émigré, completes an academic secondment from his American university. When Louisa wakes hours later, she has washed up on the beach and her father is missing, probably drowned. The disappearance of Louisa’s father shatters their small family unit. As Louisa and her American mother, Anne, return to the US, this traumatic event reverberates across time and space, and the mystery of what really happened to Serk slowly unravels. The book was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and has recently been longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize. For her influences, Susan chose: Jenny Erpenbeck’s Visitation, from 2010; the Selected Stories of Alice Munro from 1996; and George Eliot’s Middlemarch, from 1871.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Susan Choi

The Irish writer Colm Tóibín speaks to Take Four Books about his new short story collection, The News From Dublin, and together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. His new collection, published by Picador, consists of nine short stories, the last of which, The Catalan Girls, runs to a hundred pages and is about three sisters who have been living in Argentina and decide to return to Catalonia. For his three influences Colm chose short stories by three Irish writers: The Country Funeral by John McGahern first published in 1992; Frank O'Connor's Guests Of The Nation from 1931; and the Glasgow born Irish playwright and writer Eugene McCabe's Music At Annahullion from 1985.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Colm Tóibín

Bestselling author John Lanchester speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel Look What You Made Me Do. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. In black comedy Look What You Made Me Do, the lives of young TV writer Phoebe and 50-something metropolitan Kate become intertwined as the most talked about television show of the year seems to contain eerie similarities to the intimacies of Kate's marriage.John’s three chosen influences for this episode are Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym from 1953; Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh from 1928; and Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut from 1963.Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

John Lanchester

American author Jennifer Niven joins Take Four Books to discuss 'Meet the Newmans', her brand new novel that follows the lives of America’s favourite television family in 1964. On screen, they present flawless versions of themselves, but away from the cameras the truth could not be further from perfect.During the episode, Jennifer discusses the three works that inspired her new book: 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmus (2022); 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017); and 'In Search of Donna Reed' by Jay Fultz (1998).Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Jennifer Niven

The American writer Bryan Washington speaks to Take Four Books about his new novel, Palaver, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works.  Palaver focuses on the tense relationship between protagonists “the son” and “the mother”. The son is an American who has lived in Tokyo for the best part of a decade, teaching English as a foreign language. Throughout this period, he’s been estranged from his Jamaican-American mother back home in Texas, until one day she arrives uninvited on his doorstep.Bryan's three chosen influences in this episode are: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto from 1988; Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson from 2016; and Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park from 2021.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Bryan Washington

Acclaimed author Ali Smith speaks to Take Four Books about her latest book, Glyph. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. Glyph tells a story hidden within Smith’s 2024 novel Gliff. Once again, the plot centres on two siblings and a horse, and delves into the power of storytelling.Ali’s three chosen influences for this episode are: The Wild Ass’ Skin by Honoré de Balzac (1831); A Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear (1846); and Strider: The Story of a Horse by Leo Tolstoy (circa 1886).Producer: Hayley Jarvis 
Editor: Gillian Wheelan 
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Ali Smith

The Irish writer Rob Doyle speaks to Take Four Books about his new novel Cameo, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. Cameo is the life story of an invented Irish novelist called Ren Duka who has an unexpected and runaway success with a prolific series of autofictional novels. Rob's three chosen influences for this episode are: Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges, from 1944; Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano from 1996; and Memoirs of Hadrian, by Margeurite Youcenar, from 1951.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Rob Doyle

In this episode the American writer Makenna Goodman speaks to Take Four Books about her new novel, Helen Of Nowhere, and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other literary works. In Helen Of Nowhere, published by Fitzcarraldo, a disgraced professor is being shown around an idyllic house in the countryside by a realtor who speaks of its previous owner, the mystifying Helen. The professor is struggling with a growing sense of irrelevance and a failing marriage, but through hearing stories of Helen’s chosen way of living, the man begins to see that his story is not over – rather, he's being offered a chance to buy his way into a simpler life that until now has always been out of reach, but the asking price is much higher, and stranger, than anticipated.Makenna's three chosen influences were: The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono from 1953; All About Love by Bell Hooks from 1999; and John, by the playwright Annie Baker from 2015. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Makenna Goodman

Author Andrew Michael Hurley discusses his latest novel, Saltwash, a haunting tale of two terminally ill men whose paths cross in a run-down seaside town. Drawn into an unexpected reunion, they are forced to confront questions about life, death, and the meaning of mortality.Andrew reflects on the three works that inspired its creation, which were: Aubade by Philip Larkin (1977), Free Will by Sam Harris (2012), and The Summer People by Shirely Jackson (1950).Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Andrew Michael Hurley

Sir Salman Rushdie speaks to Take Four Books about his new collection of short fiction and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other literary works.  Arguably one of the world’s most celebrated authors, the publication of Sir Salman's second novel in 1981 announced the arrival of a phenomenal talent. Midnight's Children went on to win not just the Booker Prize but it was also picked as the Best Booker for the prize’s 25th and 40th anniversaries. In his latest work - The Eleventh Hour - Sir Salman showcases a quintet of stories that mix narratives of revenge, ghosts and magic into poignant reckonings with mortality. For his three influences Sir Salman chose: E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India from 1924; Franz Kafka’s Amerika from 1927; and Robert Browning’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin from 1842. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Salman Rushdie

Presenter James Crawford speaks to bestselling crime writer and Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbø about his book, Wolf Hour - a standalone thriller set in Minneapolis, where a dysfunctional detective, Bob Oz, investigates the attempted murder of a crooked gun dealer. The three books that inspired Jo while writing Wolf Hour were: Hunger by Knut Hamsun (1890), The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (1952), and American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis (1991).Producers: Rachael O’Neill & Hayley Jarvis
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Jo Nesbø

International bestseller Sir Alexander McCall Smith joines James Crawford to discuss The Private Side of Friendship, and shares the literary works that influenced it.After the acclaim of his his The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Sandy has written over a hundred books, selling tens of millions of copies in English alone – not to mention the 46 other languages in which his work has appeared. In his latest novel, he is taking readers to a city he knows very well, as six young Edinburgh students embark on a flatshare, and navigate new friendships, against the backdrop of the social unrest of the 1980s miners’ strikes.For his three influences Sandy chose: The More Loving One by W.H. Auden (1957), Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships by Robin Dunbar (2021), and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2011). Including an extract from the audiobook of Friends by Robin Dunbar, published by Hachette.Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Alexander McCall Smith

Karl Ove Knausgaard speaks to Take Four Books about his new novel The School Of Night and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other texts. The School of Night follows the character of Kristian Hadeland, a young photography student who's seething with ambition and contempt. Newly arrived in London, Kristian feels that his own family back in Norway don't understand him, and his fellow students bore him, but he knows he's destined for greater things.Karl Ove's three choices were: Dr Faustus by Thomas Mann published in 1947; a non-fiction book examining the murder of the playwright Christopher Marlowe in 1593 called The Reckoning by Charles Nicholl published in l992; and a book of memoir entitled 'Bunnyman' by the Echo & the Bunnymen guitarist, Will Sergeant.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Karl Ove Knausgaard

Award-winning Danish author Olga Ravn speaks to Take Four Books about her new novel The Wax Child and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other texts. The Wax Child, translated by Martin Aitken, takes readers to 17th century Denmark, fictionalising the true story of a group of women in the town of Aalborg who were put on trial for witchcraft.For her three influences Olga chose: Ernesto Martino’s Magic – A Theory From The South from 1959; M. R. James’s Martin’s Close from More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary from 1911; and Janet Frame’s Faces In The Water, published in 1961.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Olga Ravn

Award-winning author Katherine Rundell discusses The Poisoned King, the second instalment in her acclaimed children’s fantasy series, Impossible Creatures.In this latest adventure, protagonist Christopher journeys back to the magical archipelago - a realm where dragons, unicorns, griffons, mermaids, and much more, all roam free. But this time, he’s faced with an urgent and mysterious threat.Rundell shares the three literary inspirations behind her new novel: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1600), C.S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian (1951), and Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea (1968). Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Katherine Rundell

Presenter James Crawford welcomes American writer, filmmaker, and art critic Chris Kraus to Take Four Books to discuss her latest novel 'The Four Spent the Day Together'. This marks Kraus’ fifth semi-autobiographical novel, following the success of 'I Love Dick', which was adapted into a major television series.The Four Spent the Day Together blends elements of childhood memoir, the experience of being the partner of a relapsing alcoholic, and an investigation into a real-life crime in a Minnesotan town.Kraus also shares the three literary influences that inspired the novel: 'The Executioner’s Song' by Norman Mailer (1979), 'Main Street' by Sinclair Lewis (1920), and 'Hinterland' by Phil A. Neel (2018).Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Chris Kraus

Celebrated historical novelist Phillipa Gregory speaks to James Crawford about her latest novel Boleyn Traitor and explores its connections to three other works of literature. Philippa’s intimate portrayals of the machinations of the Tudor court have made her a bestseller and a household name. In her latest dive in to 16th Century England, she returns to the world of King Henry VIII, seen through the eyes of Jane Boleyn, confidante to five of Henry’s six wives – but was she a loyal friend, or a duplicitous spy?For her three influences Phillipa chose: The Golden Bowl by Henry James (1904), A Room With A View by EM Forster (1908), and The Country and the City by Raymond Williams (1973).Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Philippa Gregory

Booker Prize winning Irish author John Banville speaks about his new novel Venetian Vespers and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other works of literary art. Set in the year 1899, Venetian Vespers is told from the perspective of the unfortunate Evelyn Dolman, a self-confessed hack-writer who marries Laura Rensselaer, the daughter of a wealthy American plutocrat, but in the midst of a mysterious rift between Laura and her father, Evelyn’s plans of a substantial inheritance are thrown into doubt.For his three influences John chose: the Daphne Du Maurier short story, Don’t Look Now, from 1971, which is also the inspiration for director Nicolas Roeg’s classic film of the same name; The Aspern Papers by Henry James from 1888; and Death In Venice by Thomas Mann, from 1912.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

John Banville

Booker shortlisted writer William Boyd speaks to Take Four Books this week about his new spy novel, The Predicament, and together with presenter James Crawford, and the crime writer Louise Welsh, they explore its connections to three other literary works. In his new novel, which is the second in a trilogy, travel writer turned accidental spy, Gabriel Dax, finds himself caught up in events in Guatemala, and then in Berlin, where he becomes aware of a plot to assassinate the charismatic, young president John F Kennedy. The stakes are high, the pace is fast, and Gabriel is finding the allure of his handler, Faith Green, difficult to resist. For his three influences William chose: Mountolive, published in 1958, and which is the third volume in The Alexandria Quartet series by Lawrence Durrell; Len Deighton's debut novel The Ipcress File from 1962, this was later turned into a film, of the same name, starring Michael Cane; and John Le Carre's iconic The Spy Who Came In From The Cold published in1963. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

William Boyd

BAFTA Award-winning broadcaster and novelist Graham Norton discusses Frankie, his fifth novel, which centres on the life of an apparently unremarkable Irish woman in her eighties as she recounts her story to a young carer.Graham Norton shares the three key literary influences that helped shape the novel: Elizabeth Bowen’s The Last September (1929), Armistead Maupin’s Significant Others (1987), and Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (2022).Joining the discussion is acclaimed Irish author, poet, and LGBT+ activist Mary Dorcey.Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Esme Kennedy
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Graham Norton

Booker prize winning author, Ian McEwan, speaks to Take Four Books, about his new novel, What We Can Know, and explores its connections to three other literary works.  What We Can Know is set almost a hundred years in the future in a Britain much of which is now underwater, and it follows the character of Tom Metcalfe, a scholar of the University of South Downs, who is looking back at the literature of the early twenty-first century. For his his three influences Ian chose: a poem called Marston Meadows: A corona for Prue by John Fuller, first published in the Times Literary Supplement in 2021; The Immortal Dinner by Penelope Hughes-Hallett from 2000; and Footsteps by Richard Holmes from 1985. The supporting contributor for this episode is the writer Denise Mina, and it's recorded during the Edinburgh International Books Festival. Presenter: James Crawford
Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Ian McEwan

Goorie author Melissa Lucashenko joins Take Four Books from the Edinburgh International Book Festival to discuss her novel, Edenglassie.The three books that inspired the creation of Edenglassie are: Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland (1904), The Bone People by Keri Hulme (1985), and The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (2008).The supporting contributor for this episode is Rodge Glass, a lecturer in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Strathclyde, where he also teaches post-colonial literature.Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Melissa Lucashenko

Presented by James Crawford, Take Four Books, speaks to the writer Sarah Hall about her new novel, Helm, and explores its connections to three other literary works. This new novel has been twenty years in the making and features a wind called Helm as its principal character. A number of other narratives interweave and interact differently with Helm: a Neolithic tribe tries to placate it, a Dark Age wizard priest wants to banish it, a Victorian steam engineer attempts to capture Helm, and a farmer’s daughter simply loves Helm. The contemporary narrative follows a weather researcher who fears human pollution is killing Helm.For her three influences Sarah chose: Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders which was published in 2017 and won the Booker prize that same year; Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber from 1979; and Margaret Baker’s Discovering the Folklore of Plants from 1969.The supporting contributor for this episode is literary editor and founder of the independent publisher thi wurd - Alan McMunnigall.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Sarah Hall

Presented by James Crawford, Take Four Books, speaks to the Booker-shortlisted American writer, Rachel Kushner, about her novel, Creation Lake, now out in paperback, and explores its connections to three other literary works. Creation Lake introduces us to the character of Sadie Smith, a ruthless 34-year-old American undercover agent who is sent by mysterious but powerful employers to a remote corner of France to infiltrate a group of eco-protestors.For her three influences Rachel chose: Fatale by Jean-Patrick Manchette published in 1977; Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov published in 1962; and The Tribe: Interviews with Jean-Michel Mension, which was originally published and translated into English by City Lights Books in 2001. The supporting contributor for this episode is the writer and lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, Andrew Meehan. It was recorded at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Rachel Kushner

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, this week speaks to the writer Irvine Welsh about his new novel Men In Love -  the direct sequel to Trainspotting - and hears of the three other literary works that influenced and inspired Irvine's writing. More than thirty years after Trainspotting was published the iconic cast of characters of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie are back, and entering a new phase of their lives looking for love. For his three choices Irvine chose: William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream first performed between 1584-1596 and published in 1600; Ulysses by James Joyce from 1922; and In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust which was published in seven parts from 1913 to 1927 and is listed in the Guinness Book Of Records as the longest novel ever written. The supporting contributor for this episode is the writer and author of Scabby Queen - Kirstin Innes. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Irvine Welsh

Multi-award-winning writer Denise Mina discusses her twentieth novel, The Good Liar, which follows blood-spatter forensics expert Claudia O’Sheil as she faces a profound moral dilemma.Denise also shares the three key influences that inspired the novel’s creation: Dorothy Thompson’s Who Goes Nazi?, Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority, and George Orwell’s 1984.The supporting contributor is award-winning author, James Bond novelist, and lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh, Kim Sherwood.Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Denise Mina

Take Four Books speaks to writer Gurnaik Johal about his debut novel ‘Saraswati’, a tale about a holy river that appears to resurface in modern-day India. The story begins with Satnam, a man living in Wolverhampton, whose life becomes entangled in the unfolding events. His journey leads him to discover six distant relatives scattered across the world, all drawn together in a rapidly changing India.‘Saraswati’ was shortlisted for this year’s Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. The three books that influenced Gurnaik’s novel are: The Great Derangement by Amitav Ghosh; Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad; and Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz.The supporting contributor is multi-award-winning writer, Professor of World Literature and Creative Writing at Newcastle University, and BBC New Generation Thinker, Preti Taneja. Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Gurnaik Johal

Presented by James Crawford, Take Four Books, speaks to the Irish writer Colm Tóibín about his latest novel - Long Island - and explores its connections to three other literary works. Long Island, now out in paperback, is the sequel to the best-selling novel Brooklyn, and we're back with Eilis Lacey. It's the spring of 1976 and one day, when her husband Tony is at work, an Irishman comes to the door asking for Eilis by name. What this man tells Eilis changes her life. And so begins Long Island which sees Eilis return to her homeland after decades abroad. 
For his three influences Colm chose: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (1886); Victory by Joseph Conrad (1915); and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920). The supporting contributor for this episode is award-winning novelist and short story writer Jan Carson.Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production for Radio 4.

Presented by James Crawford, Take Four Books, speaks to the writer Madeleine Thien about her new novel and explores its links to three other literary works. The Book Of Records is an epic, time-warping exploration of individual lives shaped by migration, exile, war and oppression. The book follows the story of Lina, a young girl who has been forced to emigrate from her homeland, and together with her father winds up at a mysterious place called 'the Sea', which turns out to be a shapeshifting and time-shifting fantasy of a refugee camp. Fictional characters are based on real people from history, we have the German philosopher Hannah Arendt fleeing Europe during the Second World War, the Jewish scholar and philosopher Baruch Spinoza, and the eighth century Chinese poet, Du Fu all coming to life on the page. The supporting contributor for this episode is the writer and lecturer Sarah Bernstein, whose 2023 novel Study for Obedience was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.For her three influences, Madeleine chooses: Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities (1972); Men in Dark Times by Hannah Arendt (1968); and Touch by Adania Shibli (2010).Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Madeleine Thien

Presented by James Crawford, Take Four Books, speaks to the award-winning short story writer Wendy Erskine about her first novel - The Benefactors - and explores its connections to three other literary works. The Benefactors is a polyphonic immersion into modern day Belfast and follows the events surrounding a teenage house party. Three mothers close ranks against the girl who is accusing their sons of sexual assault. For her three influencing texts Wendy chose: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas (2008); Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich (1997); and This Is The Place To Be, by Lara Pawson (2016).The supporting contributor for this episode was the journalist, writer, and author of Dance Your Way Home, Emma Warren.Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Wendy Erskine

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks this week to the award-winning writer, Elif Shafak, about her new novel - There Are Rivers In The Sky - and explores its connections to three other literary works. The new book spans centuries and moves from London to Turkey to Iraq as it follows three characters all connected by a single drop of water that once fell as rain in the ancient "land between rivers" that was Mesopotamia. For her three influencing texts Elif chose: the ancient odyssey believed to be around four thousand years old, The Epic of Gilgamesh; Orlando by Virginia Woolf from 1928; and The Flow: Rivers, Water and Wildness by Amy-Jane Beer from 2023. Recorded at the Hay-on-Wye Books Festival, the supporting contributor for this episode was the first ever national poet of Wales, Gwyneth Lewis, whose latest works include the memoir Nightshade Mother, and a new poetry collection entitled First Rain In Paradise.  Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Elif Shafak

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks to the writer Andrew Miller about his novel, The Land In Winter, and explores its connections to three other literary works. Recorded in front of an audience at the Hay-on-Wye books festival, the supporting contributor for this episode is the writer Joanne Harris. Andrew's new novel centres on two married couples recently relocated to the farmlands of the West Country as the record-breaking British winter, known as The Big Freeze of 1963, takes hold. For his three influencing texts Andrew chose: The Light Years by James Salter (1975); Gerald's Party by Robert Coover (1986); and Daddy's Gone A-Hunting by Penelope Mortimer (1958). Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Andrew Miller

Take Four Books presents Open, Heaven, the debut novel from Seán Hewitt - an award-winning poet renowned for his critically acclaimed 2022 memoir of heartbreak and queer identity, All Down Darkness Wide.Open, Heaven is a tale of suppressed adolescent desire set in the pastoral surroundings of rural northern England. In this episode, Seán reflects on three literary influences that shaped his novel: The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley, Maurice by E. M. Forster, and The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien.The supporting contributor is author and lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton, Dr Bea Hitchman.There is also an extract from The Go-Between audiobook, narrated by Sean Barrett and published by Naxos AudioBooks.Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Seán Hewitt

In this episode of Take Four Books James Crawford is joined by the multi-award winning  Vietnamese-American poet and author, Ocean Vuong. Together with the writer and editor Heather Parry, they discuss Ocean’s latest novel - ‘The Emperor of Gladness’ - and three key influences behind its creation.Set in the fictional town of East Gladness Connecticut in the early years of the 21st century, the ‘Emperor of Gladness’ is centred on nineteen-year-old Hai, and the unlikely bond he forms with with Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia. This vivid, poetic epic explore loss, hope, class and the power of human connection in the post-industrial opioid infused margins of the American Dream.Ocean’s literary influences include, 'The Brothers Karamazov'by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 'The Town and the City' by Jack Kerouac, and 'Class Fictions' by Pamela Fox.Producer: Elizabeth Ann Duffy
Editor: Gillian Wheelan This was a BBC Audio Scotland production, made in Glasgow.

Ocean Vuong

Booker-prize winning writer and poet Ben Okri talks to Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, about his new novella - Madame Sosostris & the Festival for the Broken-Hearted - and its three key influences. Ben's new book takes us to a forested chateau in the South of France for a special, one-night-only event – a fevered fancy dress ball attended by anyone, and everyone, who has been wounded by love. His three literary influences for this episode are: The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot from 1922 ; Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare from 1600; and The Outsider by Albert Camus from 1942. Our rule-breaking bonus book, was Alain-Fournier’s Les Grand Meaulnes, known as The Lost Estate in English and originally published in 1913.The supporting contributor for this episode was the Oxford academic and writer Emma Smith. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Ben Okri

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks to the writer Vincenzo Latronico on his new novel Perfection - which has been shortlisted for the International Man Booker prize - and explores its connections to three other literary works. Perfection (translated by Sophie Hughes) follows the lives of millennial expat couple Anna and Tom, who work as digital creatives, and seek to live out, what should be, their dream existence in a chic flat in Berlin filled with flea market furniture and house plants, and yet an undefinable feeling of unfulfillment gnaws away. For his three influences Vincenzo chose: Things: A Story Of The Sixties by Georges Perec from 1965; Wilful Disregard by the Swedish author Lena Andersson from 2013; and No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood from 2021.  The supporting contributor for this episode was the Italian writer and translator Claudia Durastanti, author of Strangers I Know. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Vincenzo Latronico

This week, Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, talks to the British-Chinese writer Xiaolu Guo about her new novel - Call Me Ishmaelle - which reinterprets Herman Melville's mighty Moby Dick story and follows the protagonist of Ishmaelle, a woman who sneaks onto a whaling ship disguised as a man. For her three influencing texts Xiaolu chose: Moby Dick by Herman Melville from 1851; Philip Hoare's Leviathan from 2009; and Othello by William Shakespeare (first performed in 1604).The supporting contributor for this episode was the literary editor and founder of the independent publisher thi wurd - Alan McMunnigall. Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Xiaolu Guo

Three-times Booker nominated Scottish author Andrew O’Hagan tells us about his novel, Caledonian Road, and reveals three other works that inspired its creation.This state-of-the-nation novel follows 60 characters over the course of a chaotic, post-pandemic year, focussing on protagonist Campbell Flynn as his life slowly unravels before his eyes.Andrew O’Hagan’s chosen influences were The Princess Casamassima by Henry James; The Idea of Order at Key West by Wallace Stevens; and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.The supporting contributor is contemporary novelist Katie Ward.Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Andrew O'Hagan

This week on Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, the Northern Irish writer Eoin McNamee talks about how he fictionalised elements of his own life for his new novel - The Bureau - which centres around a backstreet Bureau de Change that becomes a money laundering operation, frequented by rogue lawyers, crooked policemen, criminal gangs and two doomed lovers – Paddy and Lorraine. The book fictionalises real characters and events including a kidnapping that took place in Eoin's own family. During the course of the episode Eoin explores his new book's connections to three other literary works. His choices were: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote from 1966; The Glass Essay by Anne Carson published in 1995; and Milkman by Anna Burns from 2018.The supporting contributor for this episode was the award-winning writer Louise Kennedy. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Eoin McNamee

Booker-shortlisted writer David Szalay talks to presenter James Crawford on Take Four Books this week about his new novel, Flesh, and the three other works that inspired its creation in some way. In a pared back style, Flesh, follows the life of its protagonist, István, who at fifteen years old has an affair with an older woman, the consequences of which leave a lasting impression on his life. After finishing up in the army, István leaves Hungary and moves to London, where he ends up becoming accustomed to a vast amount of wealth and luxury, but circumstances change yet again, and he returns to the place where it all began, unable to shake off the emotional weight of his experiences. For his three influences David chose: Ultraluminous by Katherine Faw published in 2017; Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf from 1922; and Lord Jim, by Joseph Conrad from 1900.The supporting contributor for this episode was the writer and creative writing lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, Andrew Meehan. Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis is a BBC AUDIO SCOTLAND production.

David Szalay

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, talks this week to the Irish writer Eimear McBride about her new novel - The City Changes Its Face - and the three other works that have helped to shape it. Eimear's new book takes us to London in the 1990s and draws us into the passionate and intense relationship of Eily and Stephen - two characters who also feature in her previous novel The Lesser Bohemians (2016). Eimear's choices for her episode include: the song lyrics of Scott Walker and specifically the song Sleepwalkers Woman from 1984; Venice Preserved by Thomas Otway from 1682; and The Lover, by Marguerite Duras from 1985.Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian WheelanThis was a BBC Audio Scotland Production.

Eimear McBride

Presenter James Crawford speaks to twice-Booker-nominated Chinese-Malaysian author Tash Aw about his latest novel, The South, and the three works that helped shape its creation.Set during a scorching summer on drought-stricken farmland in rural Malaysia, The South follows protagonist Jay in a coming-of-age story about a family navigating a period of profound change. Tash Aw’s chosen influences were Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956), Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (1897), and The Sea Wall by Marguerite Duras (1952).The supporting contributor was Dr Bea Hitchman, author, and lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton. 
 
Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Tash Aw

Presenter James Crawford speaks with multi-award-winning, Booker-longlisted French author Laurent Binet about his latest novel, Perspectives, and the three other works that influenced its creation.Set in 16th-century Florence, the novel follows an investigation into the mysterious death of a renowned painter, found lying on a church floor with a fatal stab wound to the heart. Above him, the masterpieces he dedicated over a decade to completing. But who is responsible for his murder?Laurent’s influences were: Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (1782); The Story of my Escape from the Prisons of Venice by Giacomo Casanova (1788); and The Florentine Histories by Niccolo Machiavelli (1532).The supporting contributor was poet, translator and lecturer in Creative Writing at Loughborough University, Dr Kerry Featherstone.Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production

Laurent Binet

Presenter James Crawford speaks to the writer Susan Barker on Take Four Books this week about her new novel, Old Soul, and the three other works that have helped to shape its creation. Susan's new book, published by Penguin, is made up of seven testimonies that cross centuries and continents, but they have one thing in common - a beguiling woman, who is much older than she looks, and leaves a trail of death and disappearance in her wake. The books Susan chose for her episode were: Under The Skin by Michel Faber (2000); Ghostwritten by David Mitchell (1999); and Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (1988).The supporting contributor was the writer and Strathclyde University Creative Writing lecturer, Rodge Glass.During the episode, a short clip of the audiobook version of Under The Skin is played. The publisher is Canongate Books Ltd. Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production

Susan Barker

This week Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, talks to best-selling author Emma Healey about her new book – Sweat – and the three books that inspired its creation. Emma’s choices were: Dare Me by Megan Abbott (2012); Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (2018); and The Harpy by Megan Hunter (2020).
 
Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Annie McGuire
Take Four Books is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Emma Healey

This week Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, talks to the award-winning Australian writer Michelle de Kretser about her new novel - Theory & Practice - and its three key influences. Michelle's choices were: the diary of Virginia Woolf from 1932; Ali Smith’s The Accidental from 2005; and Shirley Hazzard’s The Transit of Venus, from 1980.Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
Take Four Books is a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Michelle de Kretser

The award-winning travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux talks to Take Four Books about his latest short story collection - The Vanishing Point - and explores three other works that have helped to shape his writing. Paul's choices were: A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert (1877); Two Brothers by V S Pritchett (1932); and Riders In The Chariot by Patrick White (1961). Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production

Paul Theroux

This week Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks to the award-winning writer Jonathan Coe about his new novel - The Proof Of My Innocence - and explores its connections to three other literary works. Jonathan's three influencing texts were: The Pledge by Friedrich Durrenmatt; Good As Gold by Joseph Heller; and Unexplained Laughter by Alice Thomas Ellis. Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC AUDIO SCOTLAND production

Jonathan Coe

Presenter James Crawford speaks to the writer Rachelle Atalla about her new novel, The Salt Flats, and explores its connections to three other literary works. The books that Rachelle chose were: Women With Men by Richard Ford (1997); Wake In Fright by Kenneth Cook (1961); and Oryx And Crake by Margaret Atwood (2003). Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Rachelle Atalla

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks the writer and son John Le Carré - Nick Harkaway - about his new book Karla's Choice and its connections to three other literary works. The books Nick Harkaway chose were: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré (1974); The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (2011); and The Passion by Jeanette Winterson (1987).Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC AUDIO SCOTLAND PRODUCTION

Nick Harkaway

Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, speaks to award-winning writer A. L. Kennedy about her new book, Alive In The Merciful Country, and its connections to three other literary works. The books A. L Kennedy chose were: Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851); Petersburg by Andrei Bely (1913); and Lord Of The Rings by JRR Tolkien (1954). Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

AL Kennedy

Presenter James Crawford takes a deep dive into the latest work by critically-acclaimed writer Tessa Hadley and learns more about her creative process by exploring its connections to three other literary works. Tessa's new novella The Party started out life as a short story for the New Yorker magazine but was later expanded. Her three influential choices are: Alice Munro's short story collection Open Secrets; Elizabeth Bowen's The Death Of The Heart and Colm Toibin's Brooklyn.Producer: Dominic Howell 
Editor: Annie McGuire
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.

Tessa Hadley

Presenter James Crawford talks to Booker Prize-shortlisted writer Graeme Macrae Burnet about his new book, A Case of Matricide, the concluding part of his trilogy of Gorski novels. With the help of crime novelist Louise Welsh, Macrae Burnet explores three other works that have influenced his new book. His choices were: Georges Simenon's The Little Man From Archangel, La Femme de Gilles by Madeleine Bourdouxhe and L’Assommoir by Emile Zola. Presenter: James Crawford Producer: Dominic Howell Editor: Annie McGuire A BBC AUDIO SCOTLAND PRODUCTION FOR BBC RADIO FOUR.Presenter: James Crawford
Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Annie McGuireA BBC AUDIO SCOTLAND PRODUCTION FOR BBC RADIO FOUR.